


Achilles Heel

by tealpenguin12



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Basically Nico gushing over Percy, Gen, M/M, Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Missing scene from House of Hades, Nico Feels, Nico’s perspective of Percy in the Styx, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus) Spoilers, The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson) Spoilers, implied percabeth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tealpenguin12/pseuds/tealpenguin12
Summary: “Images flashed through his mind. He saw Nico and his sister on a snowy cliff in Maine, Percy Jackson protecting them from a manticore. Percy’s sword gleamed in the dark. He’d been the first demigod Nico had ever seen in action.Later, at Camp Half-Blood, Percy took Nico by the arm, promising to keep his sister Bianca safe. Nico believed him. Nico looked into his sea-green eyes and thought, How can he possibly fail? This is a real hero. He was Nico’s favorite game, Mythomagic, brought to life.Jason saw the moment when Percy returned and told Nico that Bianca was dead. Nico had screamed and called him a liar. He’d felt betrayed, but still…when the skeleton warriors attacked, he couldn’t let them harm Percy. Nico had called on the earth to swallow them up, and then he’d run away—terrified of his own powers, and his own emotions.Jason saw a dozen more scenes like this from Nico’s point of view. … And they left him stunned, unable to move or speak.”One of the scenes Cupid shows Jacob in House of Hades.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	Achilles Heel

**Author's Note:**

> I literally wrote this in ten minutes so I’m not even sure this makes sense but I was rereading The Last Olympian and wanted to explore the Styx scene from Nico’s perspective. Hope y’all like it :)

More scenes flashed. Percy and Nico at Hades’ palace. The sinking feeling in Nico’s stomach when Percy glared at him, hurt and betrayal in his eyes. Getting Percy back from that cursed cell. Struggling to keep his eyes open after putting the guards to sleep. Percy having to practically carry him through the Underworld. Still feeling safe and warm despite his father’s whole army chasing them because he was with  _ Percy_.

On the bank of the Styx, nearly passing out before Percy half force-fed him ambrosia. Percy telling him his powers drained him too much, visible concern in his sea-green eyes even while he was still angry.  ~~ It warms his heart a little.~~

Achilles’ ghost warns them and Nico _finally_ realises the gravity of what Percy is about to do. Asking Percy to change his mind but seeing the resolute expression on his face and knowing there was no hope.  


Percy submerged under the Styx. Time had never passed more slowly than it did in those three minutes when it seemed like he wouldn’t come back up. Guilt. So much guilt. If he didn’t survive, it would be Nico’s fault.  ~~ (Just like Bianca)~~. No. He came up, he came up,  _ he came up_.

Pulling Percy out of the Styx, nearly sick with worry because his arms looked like they were on fire and if anything happened to him, Nico would never forgive himself,  _ never_. Watching the wistful look in his eyes fade away when he realised it was Nico.  ~~ That hurt~~. Staring at his face for a second because he looked the same but yet so  _ different_, like he had somehow been reborn.  


The army charging. It was the two of them (and honestly mostly Percy because even with the ambrosia, Nico felt like his legs would give out at any moment now) against the forces of Hades at their full strength. They were screwed, Nico was sure of it, because no blessing or curse in this universe could deliver them from his father’s wrath.

But then Percy. Oh Gods,  _ Percy_. He yelled a battle cry and the Styx  _ exploded_, just literally  _ exploded_, dissolving the dead as if they were mere illusions. He drew his sword, celestial bronze glowing in the dark like a beacon, no not a beacon, like a  _ flame_, an inferno straight from Hephaestus’ forge. His eyes burned with a strange sort of gleam as he literally  _ tore _ through the endless army of the dead, thousands falling beneath his blade as he slashed and stabbed and cut and all Nico could do was watch in wonder, awed and slightly afraid, because no mortal could do this, no half-blood, perhaps even no god. But this wasn’t some ordinary hero, it was  _ Percy fucking Jackson_. Percy Jackson, who stood toe to toe with Hades in his own realm. Percy Jackson, who looked death in the eye and told it to screw itself. 

Every bullet missed him, no sword could touch him. He was powerful and brave and practically invincible  ~~ and so so beautiful that Nico could cry~~. He disarmed Hades with a single blow. He disarmed  _ Hades  _ with a  _ single blow_. He  _ threatened  _ Hades, the God of the Underworld,  _ in the Underworld_. 

Percy turned to Nico. Nico couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think. He managed a sarcastic comment. Percy tells him to go back to his father, but he can’t, not after what Percy had done, not after what _he_ made Percy do. He wants to fight but Percy forbids him. He still doesn’t trust Nico, ~~and rightfully so because who would trust a son of Hades (or worse: an incompetent son of Hades~~ ~~)~~. Still, it stings. He can’t lie about that. 

Percy says that he’s the only one who can get through to his father. He says it like it’s a good thing. Nico isn’t so sure it is, but he wants to prove himself. ~~He wants to prove himself to _Percy_~~.  Percy wishes him luck; it’s perfunctory ~~but it still makes his heart skip a beat~~. Then, Percy leaves, off to fulfil his hero’s destiny.  ~~ Nico will miss him.  ~~


End file.
